The worldwide community of guitarists and musicians is one of the main reasons why TrueFire is where it is today. With our students’ input and feedback, we stay motivated to continue to expand our library and improve our music e-learning experience. So, while we spend a lot of time highlighting our incredible faculty and content, we think it’s time to move the spotlight on some of our most passionate users.
In this Student Spotlight series, we’ll be showcasing a member of the diverse TrueFire community and sharing their thoughts with you. We hope you find yourself inspired. Ignited we stand!
Student Spotlight: obbig
Your Name:
Matt G.
How long have you been a TrueFire Student?
Since October 2020.
Tell us a little bit about yourself as a musician:
I’m from Tamworth, Australia, and am still a beginner on both guitar (acoustic) & bass. My favorite styles/genres/bands are too numerous to mention but safe to say it’s pretty much everything from classical through to now lol. I grew up in a household where mum, dad & my brother all had different tastes – so it was a case of learning to like variety or go insane. Beethoven, Nana Mouskouri, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Holiday, Zappa, Beefheart, Santana, ELO, Jackson 5 & Black Sabbath could all be heard in one day!
What attracted you to TrueFire at first?
The variety – it can’t be beaten.
What are some of your favorite TrueFire courses or lessons?
I have to give a shout to the Learn Bass & Learn Guitar series, especially when the first steps are free. From a business/marketing point of view, it’s a great hook, but from a consumer’s point of view it really says what TrueFire is about “we want you to learn to play.”
Apart from those series, it’s hard as I own 212 courses/labs, but it’s pretty much anything from Stu Hamm, Susan Mazer, Jeff McErlain, Jeff Scheetz, Chris Buono & Andrew Leonard that I’ve been drawn to most. As I improve though I’m certain it’ll be Brad Carlton at the front of that list though – I like his direct style but much of his stuff is above my current level lol (still own more of his courses than any other educator though).
How has TrueFire helped improve your playing?
I haven’t had as much practice time as I’d like since joining so my progression isn’t where I’d hoped (hence why I dropped All Access this year). But the best part of TrueFire is its range of educators. There aren’t just one or two guitarists/teaching styles for us to learn from – we can hunt around until we find the ones that match what we like. Having that is what kept me motivated when I had the time, and the courses I bought mean I can keep revisiting now when time permits. I’ll keep plugging away and I’ve got the faith I’ll get there.
Why do you use TrueFire and how often?
I want to learn guitar & bass, and I use TrueFire as often as I can. When I started out I was flush with both time and cash so joined TrueFire, JamPlay, Fender Play & Guitar Mastery Method as a subscriber to see which suited me best, but TrueFire was the one I stayed past a year. I bought a course from National Guitar Academy (Chord Mastery) & a couple from Talking Bass as well. None have the range on offer that TrueFire has, which for someone like me with such varied tastes in music is very important.
What is your favorite feature of the TrueFire learning experience?
That the vast majority of lessons could be called “bite-size chunks.” Rather than overwhelm the student with loads of material in hour-long videos, the subjects are broken down into sections. Makes it so much easier to track where you are up to and allows you to really get something under your fingers before moving on to the next section.
Who is your favorite TrueFire Educator and why?
Lol covered that in a previous answer, but on further thought it would have to be Brad Carlton. He reminds me of one of my old professors who was firm & direct, but kind and had a good sense of humor. Brad’s style seems to say “You are watching this to learn, so let’s not waste each other’s time – we’re gonna dive right in and get started.”
What would you like to see more of at TrueFire?
A bit more world music is probably the only thing I can think of. I would have said having a few more courses on different instruments too but have found harmonica, banjo, upright bass & drums now.
Any other comments?
Just like to throw a mention out to customer service. Had a couple of times early on where I needed to contact them, and things got sorted really quickly and without issue.
Join the TrueFire Community!
Ready to take your playing to the next level? Sign up for a free TrueFire account today and enjoy a 14-day trial of All Access!